SJU Athletics Photos

PHILADELPHIA (1/26/01) ­ Turning in arguably its best second half performance of the season, St. Joseph's (11-8, 5-3 A-10) overcame a three point halftime deficit and walked a way with a 67-51 win over La Salle (10-8, 4-3 A-10) at Gola Arena. It was a memorable game for the Crimson and Gray, as the Hawks clinched a share of the Big Five Title, interim head coach Reggi Grennan earned her first collegiate win and Angela Zampella broke the SJU school record for career assists. Trailing at intermission, 29-26, SJU came out of the locker room and made a statement. Consecutive three-point baskets by freshman Amra Mehmedic put the Hawks in front, 32-29. It was a lead the visitors would never relinquish. Free throws by junior Susan Moran, who led all scorers with 20 points, made the Hawk advantage five. La Salle whittled the lead back down to just a single point following back-to-back threes by Jen Zenszer. A 21-6 run by St. Joe's over the next ten minutes, however, served to deliver the knockout punch. In true team fashion, SJU shared the wealth during the spurt as six different Hawks contributed baskets during that stretch to put the Crimson and Gray up by 16 points. The Hawks would expand their advantage to 18-points before clearing the bench down the stretch. The win gave Grennan her first career victory as a collegiate head coach. SJU looked sluggish in the first half, but the hot hand of freshman Elizabeth "Hootie" Mohan and the inside presence of Moran kept the Hawks in striking distance. Mohan led all scorers with a career high 10-points before the break. Moran, meanwhile connected on four buckets in the post to net eight points at the break. The unselfish Hawks handed out a season high 21 assists as a team and received solid contributions from their "Kiddie Corp," as well as junior Jane Meade. Besides Mohan's breakout performance, fellow freshmen Steph Graff, Irina Krasnoshiok and Mehmedic made critical contributions. Graff tallied 8 points and 3 caroms, while Mehmedic also added 8 points. Krasnoshiok had only 3 points but added 9 rebounds and a blocked shot. Meade, meanwhile, played her best game since the season opener against Penn, scoring 12 points and swiping 5 steals. Overall, the 21 points by the Hawk bench was a season best. Zampella broke the Hawk assist mark early in the first half. A darting step forward to shake her defender and then a dish out to the wing, where Mohan drained a three-pointer. The helper by Zampella moved her past Debbie Black, the Hawk legend and Miami Sol guard who had handed out 718 assists during her own illustrious tenure on Hawk Hill. Zampella finished the game with 7 assists, giving her 724 for her career. In addition to Zampella, SJU earned at least a share of the Big Five crown. The Hawks will have the opportunity to claim their third straight outright title if they can beat Temple at the Fieldhouse on February 19. The Hawks have won or shared eight of the last ten City Series titles. Back on the right track, the Hawks hit the road on Saturday for a Super Bowl Sunday tilt with Duquesne in Pittsburgh at 2:00 p.m. SJU defeated Duquesne at the Fieldhouse on January 12, 81-69.